Photo By Staff Sgt. Melissa Parrish | Paratroopers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry...... read more read more
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HEMEVEZ, France– A crowd of spectators clapped and cheered as paratroopers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division jumped out of a World War II-era C-47 in Hemevez, France, June 4.
The jump was to pay homage to seven fallen paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment who jumped in the same vicinity 71 years ago during Operation Overlord or D-Day as it is commonly referred to.
On June 6, 1944, at approximately 3 a.m., 15paratroopers jumped onto the fields surrounding the town of Hemevez.
German soldiers took eight of those paratroopers captive. One paratrooper, Pvt. Ashton Landry, escaped, but the other seven did not. The German soldiers executed the rest with a single shot to the back of the head.
Soldiers past and present, as well as people from near and far, gathered at the gravesite where those paratroopers now rest to pay their respects.
“To be a part of the Hemevez ceremony and to be able to jump into the ceremony out of an aircraft just like the one they jumped out of on D-Day was incredible,” said Maj. Rusty Topf, executive officer for the 4/25 IBCT (ABN) elements currently deployed to Kosovo.
After the paratroopers landed they walked a few meters down to the burial site of the fallen paratroopers where they were greeted with a 1940s-erabig band singer and enthusiasts dressed as World War II soldiers.
The 4/25 IBCT (ABN), home stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, hosted the ceremony and acted as the official color guard. Topf and Maj. Jason Wayne, the forward operations officer for 4/25 IBCT (ABN), served as guest speakers for the event and laid a wreath on the headstone of the fallen paratroopers.
“To be able to lay that wreath on the grave really meant something to me,” said Topf. “My grandfather served in World War II so I really feel a connection to this history.”
But Topf wasn’t the only person who connected with the events that took place here in June 1944.
“People here from the local area are so knowledgeable about the history here and these events mean something to them,” Topf added. “You can see it at these ceremonies. They come to these ceremonies because they love what our parents, grandparents and, for some, great-grandparents did for them.”
As the ceremony came to an end, a band played the U.S. and French national anthems. Upon conclusion, everyone in attendance – both American service members and French locals – mingled, shared stories and snapped photos together.
“My time here honoring the paratroopers that gave everything has been something I have waited my entire military career to do,” said Topf. “I can’t even explain how this feels inside, but I can say it has been an honor. I hope every soldier gets to experience this.”
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2015 13:40 |
| Story ID: | 165973 |
| Location: | FR |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Paying homage to fallen paratroopers at Hemevez, by SSG Melissa Parrish, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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